Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-03-05


OF Jones will be filled by the Florida leg.
islature in Nav. It is settled beyond ques'
ton that the United States Senate nexI
winter willcontain thirty-nne republicans,
including Riddleberger, and thirty-seven
democrats.
The Appropriations Committee.
INSPIRATIONS OF THE MAJoRIrY-CoNGREss
MAN MILLIKEN PAYS HIS RESPECTS To
THEN.
The legislative bill being under discussion
in the House Mr.. Nilliken made the follow
ing remarks;
Mr.. Speaker, do not expect, in the
brief time allowed me, to discuss the
merits of this bill. | d. not rise for that
purpose, but to protest against the vicious
methods by which we are called upon to pass
it through the House.
1t 10 the same old issue. We had it at the
end of the Forty-eighth Congress. We had
the sundry civil bill pushed under suspension
of the rules without opportunity to read it,
without opportunity to know what was in it
under the whip and spur that unless we did
80 we must have an extra session of Con-
gress.
All this comes from the fact that one COM
u.ittee of this House attempts to become the
monarch of the House--to represent not only
the districts which have sent them here, but
also to represent, or rather misrepresent, the
country, and leave the remainder of the
House, so far AS these bills are concerned,
these important bills. these bills which
81 hav ha talihprata pnnaiNpro.
ton, to accept its dictum and represent no
one.
The country itself became tired of this
thing, and, iaspired by the sentiment of the
people, at the beginning of this Congress we
adopted rule providing that there should be
no legislation on appropriation bills. But
our friends on that side, like all men who
have had power and do not like to let it go,
have reported to this House at this late day a
bill legislatiDg in almost every section from
beginning to end, and on that account SUI beet
to more than hundred points of order.
believe where salaries are fixed by law
there is only one thing for an appropriation
committee to do and that is to appropriate
the money which the law provides the officer
should have. Anything beyond that is not
within their jurisdiction it is to give them
the power to raise or decrease salaries in an
indirect way when it is for Congress alone to
do that.
But they say in excuse that Congress will
not do it, that they can not secure the passage
of bills to decrease salaries, hence this indi
rect mode of attempting it. Is this not a fine
excuse to make. Congress will not do what
they desire, the representatives of the people
will not do it, and threfore they propose 10
usurp the power and do it themselves.
r,h 6 HI
by Lave he So 900, they appropriate 81 900 or
81 800. To the incumbent of the Office
what does that involve? A suit at law in the
Court of Claims for the amount due him. 1t
involves a lawsuit for the government, law
suit which will be costly TO the government
rs well as to the claimant, although it pro-
fesses to be done in the interest of economy
and reform. Or if the claimant, he whom
the government has promised in its laws Il
certain sum for his services, which this COM
mittee refuses to appropriate, has not the
money or the courage to prosecute his suit,
then this committee causes him to loose q
part of his just and legal dues, and this il
pretends to do in the interest of economy, to
say nothing of honesty.
But this bill, ne it was reported and at
tempted, last Saturday evening, to be forced
through the House, without opportunity of
amendment, under the suspension of the
rules. was not intended to give any person
injured by its provisions an opportunity to
ind remedy in the Court of Claims, OF
anywhere else. 1t provided in its first section
that the compensations hereinafter fixed
should be Sin full compensation" for the
services rendered.
This was a clear, undisputed attempt al
legislation whenever compensation for ser.
vices was changed. 1t was deliberate at
tempt on the part of those reporting the bill
to violate the rules of the House and to usurl
that power of legislating upon appropriation
bills of which the Appropriations Committee
were shorn in the early part Of the first SEES
sion of this Congress by the representative;
of the people.
But the plan did not succeed. Seeing thai
u considerable portion of the bill would bt
ruled out upon points of order, the gentle
man in charge of the bill consented to hav,
those words stricken out, and now the com
mittee finds itself in the humlisting situation
of having attempted to act in contempt of thu
rules of the House and usurp power which
il knew did not belong to it, and making
sorry failure in this questionable enterprise
1t has succeeded in some things. Ii ha
forced the House to consider this and othe
great bills approprianng millions OF dollar
without any opportunity 10 Stuuy tuem au'
give to them due elaboration. 1t has sue
ceeded in holding back these bills which hav
the right OF way in the House as weapon
with which to attack and overthrow any legi,
iation which might, in the mean time, be call
ed up for consideration and which might no
be entirely to the liking of these gentlemen
1t has succeeded in occupying almost entirel
the last six days of Congress which are sus
pension days, and of depriving many whole
some bills and just claims, of a hearing i
this House, but it has not succeeded in leav
ing itself an enviable situation.
At the commencement Of the first sessio
of this Congress l introduced rule requir
ing the Appropriations Committee, and al
committees having appropriation bills i
charge, TO report within a limited time.
The purpose of that rule was to have thes
bills early considered, deliberately consid
cred and disposed of, so as to leave the roa
open for other legislation. The rule faile
to receive majority of the votes of tn
House, and we are to-day suffering the con
sequences of its defeat. l hope that whe
che fiftieth Congress shall assemble the rule